Fighting Weight: The Jump Rope Workout

If you think skipping rope is only for the playground, think again—it's your best bet for staying in shape this fall

When I signed up at a boxing gym earlier this year, I hadn't skipped rope since first-grade P.E. I remember the girls being better at it than the boys, and I filed the activity in the same mental category as hopscotch and pattycake. But before getting my hands wrapped on my first day at the gym I was sent to the back of the room where another would-be pugilist was jumping rope before a big panel of mirrors. He skipped quickly and nimbly while old Young Jeezy played over the speakers. As I grabbed a speed rope and tried my best to jump it, I looked at the photos of famous fighters above the mirrors and thought about how quickly some of those dudes might rearrange my face if I told them skipping rope is for little girls in pigtails.

I got better at it with each visit to the gym, but I still looked at jumping rope as a warm-up to my actual workout of hitting bags. Then, a few months ago, I learned that my grandpa, a tough ex-Navy motorcycle-riding outdoorsman of a breed that's all but extinct, used to jump rope in the house when my mom was a kid. That's when I bought a rope to use at home on days when I didn't make it to the gym.

When it's nice out, I jump rope on the roof of my apartment where there's an epic view of the city, and when the weather turns cold I take it inside like my grandfather used to do. I crank up the music and focus on getting into a rhythm and not whipping myself in the back of the head. But like every form of exercise, if you're not altering your regimen and finding new ways to push yourself, you eventually plateau. (Also: You get bored.) So I called up GQ's go-to trainer, Oscar "O-Diesel" Smith, and asked him how I could take jumping rope to the next level.

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From Oscar:
For this workout, all you need is a standard jump rope
and a little timer you can buy for ten bucks. You can jump rope anywhere, and you can do it if you're traveling or if it's raining out—you just need a couple feet to each side of you. You can also switch between a speed rope, which needs more momentum to keep it going, or a weighted rope, which is definitely going to put a bit more burn on your shoulder.

You'll notice that your energy is going to crash in the middle of this workout—those high knees take the life out of you. But it's worth pushing through—you'll get a lot more oxygen to your system, and you'll tone your legs and upper body. Boxers jump rope because it improves their coordination, stamina, and cardiovascular strength, and it makes you light on your feet—pretty soon you'll know just what Muhammad Ali meant by "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

The Workout:

This workout alternates between three-minute rounds of jumping rope and one-minute rounds of calisthenics. As you get into better shape, you can eventually start jumping rope in rounds of four minutes, five minutes, etc.

3 minutes jump rope
Keeping your feet together and your legs straight, jump with both legs at the same time.

Stretch lightly

15 regular push-ups
Start in push-up position with your feet together and your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself until your nose almost touches the ground, then push back up until your arms are fully extended.

3 minutes jump rope
Once again, keep your feet together and jump with both legs at the same time.

10 regular push-ups
Start in push-up position with your feet together and your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself until your nose almost touches the ground, then push back up until your arms are fully extended.

10 dips
Sit down on a chair or bench and cup your hands on the edge on either side of your thighs. Walk your legs out until you're no longer sitting and are supporting yourself on your hands. Using your arms, lower yourself in front of the chair or bench, then push back up until your arms are fully extended.

3 minutes jump rope
This time, bounce from one foot to the other, either jumping on each foot just once before alternating, or changing foot every two or three jumps.

15 full sit-ups
Laying on your back with your feet on the ground and your arms crossed over your chest, sit all the way up until your elbows touch your knees. Lower yourself back until your shoulder blades touch the ground, then repeat.

3 minutes jump rope
Bounce from one foot to the other, either jumping on each foot just once before alternating, or changing foot every two or three jumps.

5 push-ups, 5 dips, 5 sit-ups
Use same form as above.

3 minutes jump rope
This time, do "high knees," alternating feet and bringing your knees up until your thighs are parallel with the ground on each jump.

60 seconds push-ups
You're going to be a little winded by now, but do regular push-ups with the same form as above for a full minute. The goal is to try to get 60.

3 minutes jump rope
Do "high knees," alternating feet and bringing your knees up until your thighs are parallel with the ground on each jump.

60 seconds leg lifts
Lay on your back and make a diamond with your hands under your tailbone for support. Keeping your legs straight, raise them until they are perpendicular to the ground. Still keeping them straight, lower them until your heels lightly touch the ground. Do this as many times as you can in a minute.

3 minutes jump rope
This time, run in place as you skip the rope.

60 seconds dips
Using the same form as above, do as many dips as you can in a minute.

3 minutes jump rope
This time side-to-side again, bouncing from one foot to the other, either jumping on each foot just once before alternating, or changing foot every two or three jumps.

60 seconds decline push-ups
Start in push-up position with your feet together up on a chair, bed, or couch, and your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself with your arms until your nose is almost to the ground, then push back up until your arms are fully extended. Do as many as you can in a minute.

3 minutes jump rope
Keeping your feet together and your legs straight, jump with both legs at the same time.

60 seconds leg lifts
Lay on your back and make a diamond with your hands under your tailbone for support. Keeping your legs straight, raise them until they are perpendicular to the ground. Still keeping them straight, lower them until your heels lightly touch the ground. Do this as many times as you can in a minute.

3 minutes jump rope
This time, bounce on one foot for a full minute and a half, then switch to the other foot for a minute and a half.

60 seconds double crunch
Lay flat on your back with your arms back behind your head, feet on the ground, and knees bent. Bring your knees to your chest while doing a crunch at the same time. Do as many as you can in a minute.

30 seconds jump rope
Do "high knees," alternating feet and bringing your knees up until your thighs are parallel with the ground on each jump.

30 seconds jump rope
This time side-to-side again, bouncing from one foot to the other, either jumping on each foot just once before alternating, or changing foot every two or three jumps.

30 seconds jump rope
Keeping your feet together and your legs straight, jump with both legs at the same time.

60 seconds jump rope
Do "high knees," alternating feet and bringing your knees up until your thighs are parallel with the ground on each jump.

60 seconds jump rope
This time side-to-side again, bouncing from one foot to the other, either jumping on each foot just once before alternating, or changing foot every two or three jumps.

60 seconds jump rope
Keeping your feet together and your legs straight, jump with both legs at the same time.

5 regular push-ups
Start in push-up position with your feet together and your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself until your nose almost touches the ground, then push back up until your arms are fully extended.

5 decline push-ups
Start in push-up position with your feet together up on a chair, bed, or couch, and your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself with your arms until your nose is almost to the ground, then push back up until your arms are fully extended.